The development and implementation of automated control systems of vehicular and other technological processes and objects was initiated on railway transport in the beginning of 70-s. In June 1975 by the order of Ministry of Transport in Petersburg State Transport University was established the Department of Theoretical Principles and Control Automation, which was included in Operation Faculty. The department’s foundation allowed PSTU, as the leading transport university in the country, participating in the process of theoretical generalization and development of management science by wide use of automatization facilities, as well as computer use.

I.I. Kandaurov, honored worker of Science and Technology, professor, doctor of Engineering Science, well-known specialist in the field of close-grained environment and control automation, full member of Academy of Transport of Russian Federation, was appointed the head of the department. The leading lectors of the department were doctor of Engineering Science I.I. Kandaurov, candidates of Engineering Science I.S. Vinnik, A.E. Vodnev, R.A. Lebedev, E.M. Zhukovsky, V.V. Gnilomedov, K.N. Koida, N.F. Kostyanko. In 1975/1976 academic year the department organized Laboratory Course on Computer Technology on the base of minor home computer of second generation “Nairi”. From 1976/1977 academic year the department led classes on subjects Computer Laboratory Course, Computer Technologies in Engineering and Economical Analyses, Manufacturing Management Automated Systems, Manufacturing Management Principles and Laboratory Course on Appliances and Modern Accounting in Operation Faculty. These courses were available for university’s specialities of all study forms. In the next years new subjects appeared at the department: Computer Technology and Programming, CAD systems, Informatics. Since 1982 laboratory researches were conducted on computers BECM-4M, ES-1032, ES-1033 and ES-1045. Since the establishment of the department under the supervision of I.I. Kandaurov different scientific researches were undertaken in the following fields: Specialized Automated Planning System Information Support Development (1977), Railway Transportation Control Problem Development (1978), ACS Freight Terminal Construction Principles (1978), Data Flow Analysis for Communication Systems at Baltic Railways Proposal Development (1979). Particular importance of the department’s research activity of 70-80-s is attached to orders of Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs. Scientific-research projects on the topics of Computers in Educational Process and by university   administration were set up.

In 1979 laboratory Operator Personnel Learning Systems was founded at the department, it was directed by senior research lecturer, candidate of Engineering Science G.A. Krasovsky, and from 1992 – assistant professor A.I. Kozhevnikov. The laboratory was the place where were generated works on development and implementation on railway networks unique automated systems of professional selection, training, learning and evaluation of operating personnel, occupied in different departments of railway transport. On the base of these projects was created a business game, it was used in educational process at the department of Operation Management for a long period of time.

Department’s scientific results were successfully used on stations, technical rooms, training carriages and on several of railways. Laboratory officers regularly made reports in network and communication schools, seminars and conferences of branch, Russian and international levels. In different years laboratory achievements were presented at Ministry of Transport collegiums, branch and international exhibitions and conferences “TRANSEK”, “INFOTRANS”, “PROMTRANS”. In 1990 laboratories of the department were equipped with personal computers IBM AT with microprocessors 80286 and 80386 of Intel enterprise.

In 1994 N.F. Kostyanko, professor, candidate of Engineering Science, became the head of the department. She graduated from Leningrad Institute of Transport Engineers on the speciality Calculating Devices and Equipment, in 1974 defended master thesis on the topic “Scheme Structural Analysis in Multivalued Logic”. Kostyanko is the specialist in the area of system analysis in informatics; moreover she is the author of more than 80 scientific works, laureate of the contest “The Best Scientific Book” in 2004 among universities professors.

Being the head of the department, N.F. Kostenko made great contribution to alteration of teaching and scientific department’s activities by implementing information technologies and systems. Due to change of department’s scientific style, it was renamed Informatics and Information Technologies in Transport in 1997.

From September 1998 to October 2000 the head of the department was professor, doctor of Engineering Science N.A. Sapunov. Graduated from Operation Faculty of Leningrad Institute of Transport Engineers, he defended doctor thesis on the topic “Theoretical Principles of Railway Operating Personnel Management in the Conditions of Automation” in 1997. Sapunov is the specialist in work automation in railway operation, the author of more than 100 scientific papers, among which the most outstanding is the monograph “Operating Personnel Actions in Extreme Situations by Train Arrival and Departure in a Case of Equipment Failure”. He received the award “Honorable Railway man”. “Complex Automated System of Operating Personnel Training” (CASOPT) was created under his supervision, and now it is used at several railways of Russian and former Soviet Republics, as well as some program products, which automate operating personnel work.

From November 2000 to April 2002 the head of the department was elected E.N. Medvedev, assistant professor and candidate of Engineering Science. Graduated from Leningrad Military-Mechanical Institute on the speciality “Automated Control Systems” and in 1975 E.N. Medvedev defended master thesis “Survey of Two-dimensional Management System Dynamics in Interference Attack Conditions”. The specialist in the area of automated management systems, the author of more than 50 scientific papers, 4 certificates of authorship, these were implemented into manufacture. During his department’s directory, learning programs on subject Informatics were improved according to demands and specifics of university faculties. Under the supervision of assistant professor, candidate of Engineering Science, E.N. Medvedev, works on projection, creation and implementation of “Automated Database Maintenance of Technical-Regulatory Station Actions” were realized, and later introduced at Oktyabrskaya Railway.

Informatization of society and railway transport showed up the necessity to solve problems, connected with informational security and prepare specialists in this field. In 2002 on the base of Department of Informatics and Information Technologies in Transport was created another department, named Informatics and Information Security. The reason of creation was for PSTU, as leading transport university of the country, to be involved into the processes of scientific justification and solution of informatization applied problems, what is more, to provide information safety at railway transport and prepare specialists in information safety in corporate information systems and telecommunication networks.

The head of the department was appointed honoured worker of Science, professor, doctor of Engineering Science, A.A. Kornienko, well-known specialist in the field of adaptive optical systems and information security in information-telecommunication networks of space destination. The graduate of Leningrad Military-Engineer Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky of the speciality Wireless Control Systems. In 1989 he defended doctor thesis on the topic “Theory of Coherent Optical Radiation Adaptive Control in Space Complexes Information and Measuring Systems”. Kornienko is the author of more than 300 scientific and scientific-learning papers, including 17 monographs, textbooks and training manuals, more than 100 articles, 24 author’s certificates and patents. Since 2005 Kornienko is Vice-Rector for Informatization in PSTU.

Since that time the department prepares specialist in information safety. At the moment, there are two specialities: Integrated Information Security of Computer-Aided Systems and Telecommunication Systems Information Security. In order to prepare highly-qualified specialists in the mentioned field, were organized specialized teaching laboratories, equipped with all modern facilities, such as virtual crypto laboratory, safe network technologies laboratory, hardware/software methods and information security products laboratory, technical methods and information security products laboratory, protected infocommunication systems production technique laboratory, specialized computer classes of modern methods and programming methods.

The top specialists in information security, professors and assistant professors teach at the department: A.A. Kornienko, M.A. Eremeev, V.N. Kustov, G.N. Maltsev, E.T. Mironchikov, V.A. Yakovlev, A.E. Bobrov, N.F. Kostyanko, V.V. Gladchenko, N.V. Ivanova, K.N. Koida, V.A. Kulishkin, S.V. Podrezov, A.V. Solodyannikov and others. The subject Informatics is taught by skilled professors: E.A. Pil, A.V. Abrosimov, A.I. Dergachev, P.A. Glubovsky, V.A. Zhurkin, E.N. Medvedev, A.B. Nemtsov, A.M. Perepechenov, E.A. Anikevich, N.V. Baidina, T.M. Bukova, I.G. Kalacheva, A.I. Kozhevnikov, V.I. Nosonov, O.V. Petrova, E.A. Tarbaeva, N.A. Yakovleva, as well as heads of laboratories and department’s junior lecturers I.N. Lezhik, T.A. Korobulina. The studying process is successfully organized by G.V. Fomina and N.P. Udina, operational works by O.V. Azarova and U.F. Efimova, specialized computer classes functioning by L.V. Proshina and N.V. Kovalenko. There are some postgraduates who also work at the department: A.S. Adadurov, M.L. Glukharev, S.V. Diasamadze. The first department’s graduates in the field of information safety are I.A. Belyakov, I.N. Burov, and M.U. Markevich.

Department of Informatics and Information Security in the cooperation with Information and Computer Systems Department participated in the international project program TEMPUS YE-24200-2003 “Study Plan and Master Program on direction Information and Database Safety”, sponsored by European Union. Professors A.A. Kornienko and V.V. Yakovlev (department of Information and Computer Systems) were the first to write textbook on the problem of information security in railway transport – “Information Security and Information Protection in Railway Transport Corporate Networks”.

In 2002 under the supervision of A.A. Kornienko scientific school of information safety and information protection on railway transport was founded. First scientific ideas were dedicated to solution of conception and system problems such as providing security of automated systems and corporative networks information, developing cryptographic algorithms and protocols for high-speed networks. Likewise was completed the project “Information Safety System for Information and Telecommunication Networks”.

Recently the department’s researchers worked out requirements, which became the base of protection profiles, and presented information protection plans for passenger operation transportation system ASC “Express-3”, ASC labor protection, information system TCC (transport control center) at transport level, KOTS “Minilom PX-500 ZHT”, and for digital technological wireless system of GSM-R standard. In addition, some projects were introduced, for instance Information Safety Policy Project and Regulations of Information Safety at Railway Level Structural Elements Interaction. Professor M.A. Eremeev made a survey on a problem of cryptographic information protection on the base of controlled substitutions for high-speed information networks. In view of the gained results he defended the doctor thesis in 2002. And in 2006-2007 professor M.A. Eremeev was awarded the grant of president of Russian Federation “Support of Young Scientists – Doctors of Science”. In 2004 doctor thesis was defended by U.A. Lavrov.

Postgraduates and department’s officers develop intellectual methods and systems of intrusion detection and nondeclared possibilities recognition (NPR). As, for example, postgraduate I.M. Slusarenko defended master thesis on classification method and error detection expert system (2005). Program instrumental complex with intellectual qualities “Expert-OASIS” was created for NPR identification in software, and it was awarded with gold medal of prize “Promotion of Security of Russian Federation” in nomination “Innovation” (2007). Professor and candidate of Engineering Science A.G. Kotenko invented methods and software of economical protection measures for information safety in dispatch control system and traffic ASC.

At the present time, scientific-research activity of the department orientates to system and safety audit technologies invention, development of methodical and information risks software analysis and information security control, as well as information systems and networks security analysis, verification and certification of protected software and information exchange protocol.

Testing laboratory of information security requirements received accredited status by the department of Federal Agency of Russia Technical and Export Control. Certification testing of software and software-technical complexes is conducted in this laboratory in accordance with the system of information safety facilities certification and information safety requirements # POCC RU.0001.01БИ00.

Nevertheless, researches in traditional for the department area still continue:

·         System Analysis in informatics (N.F. Kostyanko)

·         Personnel management analysis on the base of knowledge management technologies and survey of pedagogical questions and information technologies in order to improve E-Learning in PSTU and at Oktaybrskaya Railway (N.V. Ivanova). A.B. Nemtsov defended master thesis on this topic.

·         Development of station patterns for teaching and testing railway operation officers (A.I. Kozhevnikov, E.N. Medvedev, O.V. Petrova)

 

The results of the department scientific researches are used in Security Department of JSC “RZHD”, at Oktyabrskaya, Gorkovskaya, Sverdlovskaya, North-Caucasus and others Railways, in institutions of Russia, CIS and European Union countries. Department officers regularly publish monographs, textbooks, teaching books in publishing houses of university, railway organizations (“Marshrut”) and some other publishing companies (“BXV-Peterburg”, “KORONA print” e.t.c.). Hundreds of articles and reports are issued, plenty of scientific reports and program-informational complexes are prepared. The top specialists of the department participate in conferences, symposia, schools both in Russia and abroad.